So, I haven’t posted in a while. This is due to a few factors, but one of the major ones is that I’m preparing for a fairly aggressive travel stint in February. I will be travelling to Singapore, Malaysia, the Phillippines, Thailand, and possibly Indonesia. I will be going for 10 days, with two days in Manila, and one day in Kuala Lumpur as well as Bangkok on my way home.

My flight routing is as follows:

1945

5:20 AM BWI

6:45 AM CLT

1h 25m

None

737-300

First (O)

2A

1431

7:35 AM CLT

9:59 AM LAX

5h 24m

Breakfast

A321

First (O)

2D

11

1:10 PM LAX

1:35 AM SIN

20h 25m

None

Unknown (I)

Return:

402

8:10 AM SIN

9:30 AM BKK

2h 20m

None

Unknown (I)

794

7:30 PM BKK

7:20 PM LAX

14h 50m

None

Unknown (I)

1498

10:45 PM LAX

6:04 AM CLT

4h 19m

None

A321

First (O)

3C

1858

7:55 AM CLT

9:18 AM BWI

1h 23m

None

737-400

First (O)

2A

Trip details

Depart: Baltimore, MD Singapore, Singapore Date: Friday, 12 February 2010

		Depart: Date: Flight status

Flight #		Depart	Arrive	Travel time	Meal	Aircraft	Cabin	Seats
	1945	5:20 AM BWI	6:45 AM CLT	1h 25m	None	737-300	First (O)	2A
	Stop: Change plane
	1431	7:35 AM CLT	9:59 AM LAX	5h 24m	Breakfast	A321	First (O)	2D
	Stop: Change plane
	11	1:10 PM LAX	1:35 AM SIN	20h 25m	None		Unknown (I)
	Flight # 11 : Arrives two days later, Sunday, February 14, 2010

Depart: Singapore, Singapore Bangkok, Thailand Date: Sunday, 21 February 2010

		Depart: Date: Flight status

Flight #		Depart	Arrive	Travel time	Meal	Aircraft	Cabin	Seats
	402	8:10 AM SIN	9:30 AM BKK	2h 20m	None		Unknown (I)

Depart: Bangkok, Thailand Baltimore, MD Date: Sunday, 21 February 2010

		Depart: Date: Flight status

Flight #		Depart	Arrive	Travel time	Meal	Aircraft	Cabin	Seats
	794	7:30 PM BKK	7:20 PM LAX	14h 50m	None		Unknown (I)
	Stop: Change plane
	1498	10:45 PM LAX	6:04 AM CLT	4h 19m	None	A321	First (O)	3C
	Stop: Change plane
	1858	7:55 AM CLT	9:18 AM BWI	1h 23m	None	737-400	First (O)	2A
	Flight # 1498 : Arrives next day, Monday, February 22, 2010 Flight # 1858 : Departs next day, Monday, February 22, 2010

• US Airways
• Thai Airlines
• Flight operated by Singapore Airlines

Now, all of these flights were booked through US Airways Dividend Miles program, which got me first domestic and business class Trans-Pacific on Singapore Airlines’ all-business product (and the 2nd longest flight in the world, after EWR-SIN), and Thai Business Class on the way back.

Before I leave for the trip

I have never travelled to Asia before, so this will be my first experience with super long haul flights. Thankfully I am flying what I understand to be one of the best airline products there is, Singapore Airlines’ All-Business class A340. Lie-flat beds, the Krisworld entertainment system, and all the Singapore Slings you can drink. I can’t think of a better way to lose my Asian travel virginity.

Considering that I will be in the tropics, I consulted with a few sources and determined that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to take anti-malarial drugs or get jabbed for Yellow Fever or any of that other stuff. I’m sure there’s a threat of Dengue too, but I ran into that in Argentina, and it’s not a huge deal.

I’m a little bit unsure what to pack. I’ll have to haul out all my summer clothes from storage and probably just throw a couple pairs of shorts and jeans in with some tee shirts and other necessities. Carry-on only, no exceptions…play like a champion. I figure I’ll bring one decent set of clothing, which I’ll probably wear there, so as not to look like a schmuck when flying one of the most elite cabins in the world.

When I’m there

The plan at this point is only determined by a few factors: I’m travelling in tandem with a friend on a Fullbright in Singapore, and we have decided to visit Manila, Philippines and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. So, with four days removed from my itinerary in Singapore because of intra-Asian travel, it will be interesting to see what happens.

—

My current biggest worry is actually getting to some of the airports in question here. On my way out, I’m probably going to have to sleep in Baltimore at the airport, which in itself will be aggressive. On our way into Manila, since we’re flying Joe’s Discount Asian Airline (Tiger Airways), we’re flying to Clark-DMIA instead of the standard Ninoy Aquino International. This means we probably have at least an hour taxi ride to the airport, both ways. Further complicating this is our connecting flight to Malaysia is just an hour and a half after we land back in Singapore, so we’re just banking that we can check in in Manila. Then, on the way home, I have a day in Bangkok, where I’m going to have to clear Thai immigration, get from BKK to down-town Bangkok by taxi, and then get back. (BKK, by the way is called Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is pronounced Soo-WANNA-poom. That fascinates me.)

Depending on the whim of my travel companion, I will add 4, possibly 5 countries to my slowly expanding total. Originally our trip included Vietnam and Cambodia, but since it is Tet in Vietnam, we made the decision not to travel there because most things would be closed.

—

Another focus of the trip will be food. This excites me greatly. As I mentioned before, I have never been to Asia, and never experienced real Asian cuisine, other than Full Kee on F Street here in D.C., or the ever elusive secret Thai restaurant on Florida Ave. However, as also previously mentioned, I will be travelling with someone that has more than a passing knowledge of Asian cuisine and special interest in the hawker centres in Singapore.

Also in the food area, I’m going to have a chance to go to the Raffles Hotel and sample the Singapore Sling that I wrote about in 9 places where you can eat and drink the original.

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Has anyone been to Southeast Asia and have some advice? You can e-mail me, get me on Twitter, or leave a comment below. Thanks for reading, and keep watching for updates on this trip!

photo credit: SoniaT 360.